Ruh-Roh! Is Rosie O'Donnell Returning To 'The View'?

If
it's true -- and by the time you read this we might have a definitive acknowledgement from ABC -- the news that Rosie O'Donnell is (or very likely will be) returning to “The View,” the
show on which she frequently became quite agitated back in 2007-08 before departing amid memorably explosive circumstances, suggests that ABC Daytime may still be mired in the type of questionable
decision making that egregiously compromised the network's once robust daypart.

In other words, if ABC is even considering recruiting O’Donnell, it shouldn't.

O’Donnell was
simply sensational as the host of her own feel-good syndicated daytime talk show in the Nineties, at least until the horrors of the Columbine Massacre in April 1999, which led to her becoming more
emotional and more political on her otherwise delightful and entertaining program. (Her nasty dust-up over gun control one month after the Columbine High School massacre with guest Tom Selleck remains
somewhat legendary.) She has always been a fine actress in movies and on television shows (most recently ABC Family’s “The Fosters”). She is a great guest on other talk shows (even
“The O’Reilly Factor” on Fox News).

But her time on “The View” made clear that she doesn’t play well with others in a multiple host, hot-topic heavy talk
show format in which even a single colleague (not to mention the occasional guest) might not always agree with her particular points of view. She loses her cool and creates an atmosphere of extreme
tension rather than one in which differing points of view are informatively debated in ways that stimulate and educate others.

If nothing else, it makes for a very undesirable viewing
experience.

Of course, former “View” co-hosts Joy Behar and Elisabeth Hasselbeck shared many of these same unfortunate qualities, but they always seemed to coexist and find common
ground to return to even after their discussions became heated. Watching at home, there was rarely any lingering stress or distaste when the two of them went at it, generally over politics.
O’Donnell, on the other hand, left a dense cloud of unpleasantness hanging over the show whenever she got into a disagreement with anybody.

O’Donnell famously left “The
View” after an epic blowout with Hasselbeck in May 2007. If memory serves, at the time she insisted that she didn’t leave because of the actual argument, but because someone at the show (a
producer? A director? A network executive?) chose to make the fight look more like a catfight by showcasing it via split screen (with O’Donnell on the left and Hasselbeck on the right). In her
defense, it was a shameful technical decision on the part of whomever was responsible -- one clearly made to further exploit the emotion of the moment. If O’Donnell is willing to return to the
show, it must mean that those hurt feelings have subsided.

Maybe O’Donnell has changed or matured or calmed down a bit. But I should think she would want to leave her experience on
“The View” far behind her, as she attempted to do with her perfectly fine and unfortunately short-lived talk show on OWN a few years ago. If she really wants to return to “The
View,” that’s all well and good, I suppose -- but it will only take one flammable exchange with a single colleague or guest to revive all of the negative press that surrounded her seven
years ago.

Some people insist that there is no such thing as “bad” publicity, but in this case I disagree. Any renewed issues with O’Donnell will only hurt “The
View,” which at present is old and weak and tired despite the best efforts of its sole remaining host, the indefatigable (and at this juncture, invaluable) Whoopi Goldberg -- who has been the
only real reason to watch the show for longer than I can remember.

The greater issue here is that in its efforts to revive whatever is left of “The View” (and after a year with
Sherri Shepherd and Jenny McCarthy as co-hosts, it ain’t much), it appears that ABC is returning to its past rather than moving forward. Surely there are plenty of well-informed, intelligent and
engaging women working in the media who would bring something special to the show -- women who might recall the better hosts of “The View” during its early years, including Behar,
Hasselbeck, Meredith Vieira, Lisa Ling and even Star Jones (before her wedding). Some of the many impressive newswomen who visited “The View” in May to bid Barbara Walters adieu might be
available. Surely there is another way to go with this rather than repeating past mistakes.

I certainly hope “The View” stops trying to be “The Talk,” as seemed to be
the case this year. “The Talk” offers a perfectly pleasant hour on CBS every afternoon, but it works precisely because it is lighter than air and tries never to be anything but a happy,
upbeat experience (very much like ABC’s “Live with Kelly and Michael” and NBC’s fourth hour of “Today” with Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb in the morning, not to
mention O’Donnell’s original talk show, at least at the start).

“The View” was always strongest when it drilled down into important topics and interviews with guests
who had something substantive to talk about. A daily show of that kind being produced in New York City should have no problem finding smart hosts and engaging guests. But first it has to return to the
rails from which it careened during the last year.

Steve Beverly from Union Broadcasting System , July 10, 2014 at 3:58 p.m.

Ed, I could not agree with you more. Bringing Rosie back is a case of "she will either rule it or ruin it." I don't think America is sitting on the edge of its seats waiting for Rosie's return on ANYTHING! Overlooked in all of this: what has quietly returned to being the number one show in daytime television? Another show that Rosie wanted but was rejected for after unreasonable demands: "The Price Is Right."

Couldn't disagree more! Rosie is one of the rarest of commodities on television these days: unpredictable. I expect The View's ratings will soar upon her return, with half the country cheering her on, and the other half tuning in to see what "nonsense" she's going to spout next.
You say that "extreme tension" is a bad thing on television? Well, tell that to every drama writer and every reality show producer now at work, because television -- indeed, theater itself -- is all ABOUT extreme tension.
If you find real people speaking their hearts and their minds an "undesirable viewing experience," please go ahead and don't watch. But don't presume to tell others that ABC is wrong to bring her back. If they were smart, they'd bring her AND Elizabeth Hasselbeck back, lock them in a studio together, and let the sparks fly. For the same reason, I hope the rumors that Sarah Palin may get the job are true.
Rosie, Sarah Palin and Whoopie together, for an hour a day? They could sell it on Pay Per View.

Why is everyone focused on her 2007 appearances? She came back more recently (2011-2012) on the OWN network with her own show and laid a big egg, inviting primarily guests who fit a very narrow profile. Maybe she'll do better with less control than the less time, with a wider range of guests.

Ed Martin is editor-at-large at MediaPost. He is a well known media critic who has written for the Myers Media Business Report, TV Worth Watching,The Huffington Post, Inside Media, USA Today, Advertising Age, Broadcasting & Cable and TV Guide .